Our first big Switch exclusive of 2024 arrives nice and early and, rather than assuming the form of one of Nintendo's bigger franchises — we got Fire Emblem Engage this time last year — we are instead winding the clock back to 2005 and 2009 respectively, to dive into swish remakes of a pair of cult classic adventures from the DS and Wii.

Another Code: Two Memories (Trace Memory in the US — which you can find reviewed here) and its sequel, Another Code R: A Journey Into Lost Memories, may not have been the most obvious of ways to kickstart a new year, but they are a deep cult cut that have deservedly garnered a following over the years.

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If you're new to the party, Another Code: Recollection reworks two games from defunct developer CiNG (that's the same super-talented folk who made the stunning Hotel Dusk: 215 and Little King's Story), giving us two completely modernised versions of the adventures of Ashley Mizuki Robbins. Both games take the form of point-and-click adventures whose focus is resolutely on story above all else, on taking their sweet time to ground you in their worlds, build believable characters, and present experiences that revel in a sort of everyday mundanity. There's a desire to have you live every bland second here, to have you open every door and retrace every step several times before you're rewarded with tidbits of info or resolutions to the many mysteries that hang over Ashley.

A huge error on our part here would be to reveal much of either of the two game's storylines; revelations, twists, and turns are the main meat of this meal and must not be spoiled (somebody's hungry). Without ruining anything beyond the earliest of details, then, this is a tale in two parts that kicks off when Ashley receives a mysterious package from her father in the days leading up to her 14th birthday. All well and good, and congratulations Ashley. There is, however, the small matter that Ashley's dad is meant to be long dead.

Teaming up with a helpful little ghost boy named D — think Casper the Friendly Ghost with amnesia and a chest tattoo — Ashley must head off to a mysterious island where plenty of point-and-click puzzles and long periods of wandering around and/or getting completely stumped by obtuse puzzles await.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

Or at least that would have been the case had you been playing the original versions. Yes, where both the OG experiences could have you reaching for a guide in frustration on several occasions, the biggest and most useful addition to these very handsome remakes is their comprehensive new hints and guidance mechanics. As you manoeuvre Ashley around environments, which are now fully 3D and explorable (the changes to the DS game are especially notable here), you can simply click down on the left thumbstick to have a compass circle appear around her waist, directing you to the next location you need to visit. You've also now got a lovely big yellow dot marking exactly where you need to go next to progress should you need it, so any Call of Duty players who've bought the wrong console and game should rest assured they'll make it through the experience just fine.

There's a puzzle hint system which can be toggled from the in-game menu, too, and we also really like how passcodes for safes/doors and information of this manner are added to the room you'll need it for on your stylish in-game map. All of these aids are things that folks cried out for back in the day, and one of the major criticisms at release was the tough nature of some of the puzzles. With these features in place, Ashley's two-part journey is a much smoother one, especially for those of us who got stuck trying out various knocking patterns at the very first door in the original game. (We're not angry, just ashamed).

You've then got the scale and scope of the rest of this (re)collection's additions and embellishments. Both games now look suitably modern — stunning in places, even — and as we mentioned, the first game has been converted to 3D so it's a much different experience mechanically than you may remember from 2005. There's full voice acting, a choice of Japanese and English dubs/subs, and even some cut content, a few new puzzles, and fresh music to tap your feet along to as you enjoy the laid-back nature and general ebb and flow of both games.

On both DS and Wii unique controls were used to maximise the fun of exploring and deducing, and this new Switch release follows suit. Utilising the console's motion controls to wiggle a key loose from the underside of a chair is something you get to try out in the demo if you're keen, for example, but we reckon the first game does lose out a little in the shift from the dinky DS. There's just something about a nice dual-screen setup that does it for this particular writer, and one puzzle of note loses a lot in its shift to Switch.

What we could perhaps have done with, rather than a few motion control minigames, is touch screen controls to fully max out the visual novel vibe, but we guess it's no real biggie when the default controls work just fine.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

We should also mention the new art style for both games here. We like it, personally, it's very clean and crisp in motion and keeps the watercolour style and atmosphere alive and well, but there will undoubtedly be those who can't stand the loss of the chunky black lines around characters from the originals. Oh, and while we remember, make sure to jump into the settings and bump up the camera's turning speed as a matter of urgency when you first start, as default settings make it really slow-moving.

Away from those slight niggles, though, these are two good-looking and involving point-and-click titles that have aged relatively well, all things told. They may not be as explosive, fast-paced, or oh-so-clever as some more recent examples of the genre, for sure, but Ashley is a very well-rounded, believable, and likeable character — a well-written female lead who carries the whole thing easily on her reliable shoulders. D is a great sidekick, too, just sweet enough without becoming sickly, and discovering the secrets, forgotten memories, and revelations that connect the two is a journey that's absolutely still worth taking, and one that will stay with you after the fact. You don't get assigned cult status for naught, mate.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

While we still agree with a lot of the original criticisms related to pacing and how much wandering and downtime there is between revelations, we can't help but get wrapped up in the slow-burn and very atmospheric nature of this emotionally involving and beautifully presented two-part tale. These remakes are labours of love, there's no doubt about it, and if you're down for a couple of games that aren't in a rush — adventures that contain the power to fully absorb and arrest should you allow them — well, you're in for a lovely treat here, regardless of the odd boring stretch.

Onto performance, and in both docked and handheld we've had zero issues with either title in our time playing, beyond the ill-advised motion control puzzles, that is. The new tips and navigation aids have ensured that, where we may have given up in frustration in the past (the DS really is quite easy to throw across a room), we had no issues bypassing trouble spots and blasting through both ten-hour adventures with little issue on this revisit.

So, it's a successful return to Blood Edward Island overall, then. A successful return for a well-written cast of characters dealing with some surprisingly mature themes, multiple endings that encourage future replays, and puzzles that, whilst obtuse in places, get the job done admirably for the most part as you explore and rebuild the pieces of a broken past. Now, do Hotel Dusk.

Conclusion

Another Code: Recollection's biggest addition to the original DS and Wii experiences, besides the slick new graphics and fully explorable 3D environs, is its all-new navigation and puzzle aids. With the obtuse nature of some puzzles now a triviality — should you find yourself stumped — there's now no difficulty spikes or annoying moments to hold you back from a two-part tale that's very much worth diving into for fans of slow-burn point-and-click titles. Their pacing could have done with some more work, but this collection is as good a return to Ashley's world as fans could have hoped for.

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